Feldman arrested in support

Nurses at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., following a six-week walkout, hunger strike and acts of civil disobedience that resulted in the arrest of AFT president Sandra Feldman and others, reached agreement on a new contract Nov. 6.

Just three days before, as demonstrators sang "We Shall Not Be Moved," Feldman, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, American Nurses Association president Mary Foley and two other labor leaders offered up an act of civil disobedience on behalf of the striking workers. The five were handcuffed and arrested for blocking traffic and taken away by D.C. Metropolitan Police.

The arrests came at the end of a press conference and rally held to announce the ratcheting up of the pressure on the MedStar Corporation, owner of the Washington Hospital Center, to conduct fair negotiations with the unit of 1,200 nurses represented by the D.C. Nurses Association. DCNA is affiliated with the United American Nurses, the collective bargaining arm of the ANA. The nurses had been out on strike since Sept. 20 over issues like forced overtime and patient care decision-making power. The AFT had supported the DCNA nurses from the start by walking their picket lines, contributing money to their strike fund and, finally, through acts of civil disobedience.

In the first week of the strike, MedStar hired U.S. Nursing Corps to provide 700 replacement nurses for those on strike. At the press conference, Sweeney said the strikebreakers had already cost MedStar $18.7 million and called on the company to make the contract public. Sweeney announced that the AFL-CIO and other plaintiffs filed suit that day (Nov. 3) in D.C. Superior Court to enjoin MedStar from continuing its contract with the U.S. Nursing Corps because it was improperly registered to do business in the city and its nurses were not properly certified.

The press conference also marked the first day of a Fast for Justice that was undertaken by five DCNA nurses. They had pledged to continue their fast until the contract was settled, and five hospital gurneys were set up at the strike site as a reminder of their sacrifice.

"These courageous nurses are on OUR side," said Feldman before she was arrested. "They are fighting not just for themselves but for the community." Joslyn Williams, president of the D.C. Metropolitan Labor Council, was also arrested, as was Cheryl Johnson, chairperson of the United American Nurses/ANA. Feldman and the others were transported to Precinct 4D headquarters, held for several hours, fined and released.

A tentative contract settlement was reached the weekend following the arrests. The new contract limits mandatory overtime and gives them the right to refuse; gives nurses seats on hospital committees that relate to patient care practices and policies; establishes a weekend staffing program to ensure appropriate staffing levels seven days a week; and gives the RNs a wage increase of 14 percent over three years.